Figured I'd pop in and mention a few players I'm starting to become really fond of for our team especially. No particular order here I'm just numbering for organizationtional sake.
1. Tavon Austin: WR WVU
Projects as a slot receiver. He needs to come in on his pro day and show he can run the route tree. I believe he could be the key piece pushing us into a top 10 offense. Biggest impact I see is the player who could get us transitional yardage, Converting those third Downs in between the twenties, and turning drag and slant routes into chunk yardage. I understand we have ray rice to use in the passing game to the same affect. But teams are better able to guard that with the double linebackers over covering tavon out of the slot.

2. Alec Ogletree: ILB Georgia
Nice athletic linebacker who plays fast and can do a little more athletically over McClain and Ellerbe. Smaller linebacker coming out at 6' 3" 232lbs but could stand to spend a year in an NFL strength program to help prevent the dropoff defending the run later in games. Doesn't really have as much experience at linebacker as some other prospects. That comes off to me as barely scratching the his potential at his position.

3. Matt Elam: Safety Florida
Now I haven't watched as much film on Elam as I would have liked. As mentioned by other posters has the build you look for in your safety. A little shorter than one would like but that doesn't bother me at the safety position.

4. Kenneth(Kenny) Tate OlB/SS Maryland
Another player I haven't watched as much as I'd like. Really heady pro ready Olb. Who I think we would convert back to safety. This term has been overused through the years but Kenny is a big heady technically sound player who just plays like a Raven.

Thanks for reading I've been running my view on these players around my head for a couple days and had to put it in writing.

2 guys I'm interested in seeing how they check out medically are Chris Faulk and Brandon Jenkins.

Both are flying under the radar right now because they didn't play this season, and could be available later than they would or should be otherwise.

And for all the hoopla about Terrence Williams and Tavon Austin right now, Aaron Dobson is starting to become a very interesting mid round target to add to the WR corps if we don't get a WR early on. If you don't remember Dobson, the catch at 4:07 of the clip should refresh your memory:

2 guys I'm interested in seeing how they check out medically are Chris Faulk and Brandon Jenkins.

Both are flying under the radar right now because they didn't play this season, and could be available later than they would or should be otherwise.

And for all the hoopla about Terrence Williams and Tavon Austin right now, Aaron Dobson is starting to become a very interesting mid round target to add to the WR corps if we don't get a WR early on. If you don't remember Dobson, the catch at 4:07 of the clip should refresh your memory:

I don't think anyone has forgotten about Dobson... he simply hasn't been the impact player that he was expected to look like this season. He's put up less than 700 yards this season.

And before you say, he doesn't have the QB play, I'd like to say that we have a lot of WRs on our team already... we don't need another average to above average option. We need a playmaking outside threat. And one thing I think the truly great receivers will show is that they can produce big no matter the QB. Dobson has not shown to have that ability... and, I don't think he's going to suddenly develop into a player capable of making a QB look better than he is- that's the kind of receiver I want... and since Dobson doesn't have that... he's honestly not even on my list of guys that I want at this point._________________

I don't think anyone has forgotten about Dobson... he simply hasn't been the impact player that he was expected to look like this season. He's put up less than 700 yards this season.

And before you say, he doesn't have the QB play, I'd like to say that we have a lot of WRs on our team already... we don't need another average to above average option. We need a playmaking outside threat. And one thing I think the truly great receivers will show is that they can produce big no matter the QB. Dobson has not shown to have that ability... and, I don't think he's going to suddenly develop into a player capable of making a QB look better than he is- that's the kind of receiver I want... and since Dobson doesn't have that... he's honestly not even on my list of guys that I want at this point.

Make no mistake, I'm not advocating Dobson as a star, but not every draft pick is either.

If we could get a big body with really good hands to complement the speed we have in Smith and Jones on the outside in the 4th or 5th round, why not have options? Especially since we don't know what we have yet in Doss or Streeter, and Boldin is likely a cap casualty this offseason.

Playmaking ability is important, but sometimes you just need a 1st down. We don't have that big body that I trust to be physical enough to convert a 3rd and 7 or to use in the red zone consistently, and I think Dobson could add that to the arsenal of weapons on offense.

And unless the new OC is going to run a variation of the New England or Green Bay offenses, a player like that would be an interesting and valuable piece in the overall scheme.

If Ryan Swope falls to our third pick I'd like the selection. Hell. Maybe even our second if the board has been picked clean. He came up so big in that win against Bama and he is fearless. Great hands and agility._________________

If Boldin and Jones are still with the team next season then taking a WR in the draft seems more unlikely that not to me. It's hard to say what going to happen on that front though. In the event that at least one of those two are released I'm of the mindset that the Ravens should invest a quality pick on a WR or just skip the position completely in the draft. They have Doss, Streeter, Williams, and Thompson to fill in/compete as depth. There's not a whole lot to be gained from adding another middle-round talent in my opinion. Now taking a guy that's fell further than expected is a different case or maybe even someone like Dobson who was regarded highly before the season but I'm hoping for the likes of Williams, Hunter, Allen, Patterson (who actually reminds me a of a better version of Jones), etc.

An expanded role for Jones on offense if they retain him could change things too. I think he's actually a better fit in the slot as opposed to another deep threat across from Smith despite his size and speed. In my opinion he's a much bigger threat in space and if the Ravens use an offensive scheme that actually utilizes that kind of skill player then he could thrive in that role. That would make WR somewhat less of a need even if Boldin is cut but getting a big target for Flacco in the redzone is going to be a need regardless. Could Streeter fill that role? Maybe, but he needs to add a lot of strength judged on how he looked in the pre-season.

I was bored and reading up on some of the OT prospects in next year's draft. I know a lot of people have been saying there's no clear cut top OT in this draft class, but man what I would do to get my hands on one of those tackles from Texas A&M.....

Joeckel/KO/Gradkowski/Yanda/Oher

or (more realistically it seems like, at this point)

Oher/KO/Gradkowski/Yanda/Matthews

*drool*

Also, a guy I want everyone to keep an eye on as we get closer to the draft, Oday Aboushi - OT from Virgina. Having gotten to see him a number of times due to my affiliation with the Terps and the ACC in general, I can honestly say the dude has been a beast, even despite the subpar performance of his team as a whole. Not sure exactly where his draft stock stands at this point, I'm seeing anywhere from the 2nd-4th round. If we opt to go a different direction in the first and Aboushi hasn't pushed his stock beyond our selection in the 2nd or 3rd, I'd love to take a flier on this guy._________________

jpeter15 wrote:

I think the Browns would be better off displaying "Play like a Raven" in their locker room. Play like a Brown sends mixed signals.

Luke Marquardt everyone. Remember the name! Very under the radar player because he's from a small school. Idk if anyone has heard of him but he plays for Azusa Pacific (lol wut?). Dude is built like a monster (6'9, 322) has nice length and very quick feet. Reminds me a lot of Jared Veldheer for Oakland. If he's there for us in the 3rd, I really think we'd have our future LT for 10-12 years.

Obviously I don't want Ozzie to follow my mindset, as this is the worst way to draft IMO (BPA all day), butttttttt I would love to see us get a guy who has elite athleticism at DE who falls because of work ethic concerns or something like that. Calais Campbell is the guy I have in mind. Would have loved him in 2008 (obviously happy we took Rice, though). Maybe a guy who is hyper-athletic, just raw, in the mold of JPP perhaps. Clearly these are examples of this sort of player working out, but it's my wishlist and i can ignore bust rate if I want.

I think a guy like that would be a huge addition along with Suggs, Ngata, Upshaw, etc. in the front seven.

You may be talking about Ezekial Ansah then. I'm not quite sure if he has that elite athleticism though.

Man, 6-6, 270 guy, decent numbers on a good D, ran track, sounds like an overall good student (majoring in actuarial science with a math minor, little better than kinesiology for an athlete )

I like him.

Any chance this guy is available to us? Late first, early second?_________________

Ansah has been getting a ton of hype lately and it's easy to see why. With his measurables and upside I think he goes before the Ravens pick. Maybe his lack of production drops him a bit but he has a pretty good excuse of not playing football until 2010. If available I want him on the Ravens. He's a perfect candidate to take now and develop a bit more (because he needs) while still making an impact as a situational/role player. I don't expect Kruger to be back so that's the role I'm talking about. Suggs will be an old 31 next season since that will be his 11th year in the league already and I think he could start to decline soon even though his pass-rushing style isn't necessarily reliant on athleticism. Still, you want as many pass-rushers on the team as you can get and even though Upshaw was taken last season his main role isn't primarily as a pass-rusher anyways.

Obviously I don't want Ozzie to follow my mindset, as this is the worst way to draft IMO (BPA all day), butttttttt I would love to see us get a guy who has elite athleticism at DE who falls because of work ethic concerns or something like that. Calais Campbell is the guy I have in mind. Would have loved him in 2008 (obviously happy we took Rice, though). Maybe a guy who is hyper-athletic, just raw, in the mold of JPP perhaps. Clearly these are examples of this sort of player working out, but it's my wishlist and i can ignore bust rate if I want.

I think a guy like that would be a huge addition along with Suggs, Ngata, Upshaw, etc. in the front seven.

You may be talking about Ezekial Ansah then. I'm not quite sure if he has that elite athleticism though.

Man, 6-6, 270 guy, decent numbers on a good D, ran track, sounds like an overall good student (majoring in actuarial science with a math minor, little better than kinesiology for an athlete )

I like him.

Any chance this guy is available to us? Late first, early second?

There's a chance, but you know how pass rushers are... they'll make their money come combine time. If he blazes and does the full workout warrior beast mode... he probably puts himself in top 15-20 talk if other players don't equally look as stunning (which this year should have some really fast edge threats).

To switch tracks for a second (well for the rest of this post anyway), I'm starting to get an inkling.

Now... I know anyone in the mock draft forums and heck some people here might call me crazy, but I think that come draft day a guy we might be in range to get could be... wait for it... Jarvis Jones. Now before anyone laughs, just think about it. The man has spinal tenosis. Sure he's considered the best OLB in this class, but here are three reasons why I think Jarvis Jones could fall (at least in range) to us:
1. Duh... already said it, spinal stenosis. Some teams might even take him off their board if they don't feel like they have the medical staff trained well enough to handle his condition consistently.. and some teams will simply lower him on their board in relation to other players who aren't dealing with a degenerative back. Remember, Jones was once told by USC that he should retire.. so that should speak volumes as to exactly what he'll have to face heading forward. And for a player who faced similar scrutiny. Rob Gronkowski fell out of late 1st round contention and fell nearly a round simply because he has spinal stenosis. So there is a precedence for how NFL teams treat this kind of thing.

2. Jones isn't a workout warrior/freak athlete. Honestly looking at tape of Jones reminds me of Terrell Suggs. He doesn't have that incredible burst that some OLBers have in this class. Jones is only about 6'2 1/2" 240 lbs... and he likely won't run anything special. He'll probably run above average with a 4.7 or so. In short the production will be there, but the athleticism won't have him stand out.

3. Physical freaks are abound in this draft. Honestly, this draft class possesses a host of physical freaks that should impress NFL scout evaluaters and coaches alike at the combine. Just think, Barkevious Mingo, Dion Jordan, Ezekial Ansah, Sam Montgomery, and maybe Mike Buchanan could all potentially blow up the combine athletically. Most of those guys are considered in that 1st round range. Many teams will likely consider and potentially fall in love with the idea of taking and molding that athlete into the next Aldon Smith or JPP. Jarvis Jones could easily get lost in the shuffle of potential vs. production.

So right now, he's looking like a top 10 lock... but post-combine, I think we could easily see something much different. Every year their seems to be a player that falls in the draft that the Ravens then pounce on. Last year Courtney Upshaw was a top 15 lock at this time in the process. Sergio Kindle was considered a top 10 pick before news about his "bad knee" came out and he began to free fall down draft boards. I think, once again, this could be that year... and more than that, Jarvis Jones could be that player that falls to us that Ozzie scoops up to improve this defense. Remember this post... you heard it here first. Jarvis Jones... is going to be a Raven come April._________________

Obviously I don't want Ozzie to follow my mindset, as this is the worst way to draft IMO (BPA all day), butttttttt I would love to see us get a guy who has elite athleticism at DE who falls because of work ethic concerns or something like that. Calais Campbell is the guy I have in mind. Would have loved him in 2008 (obviously happy we took Rice, though). Maybe a guy who is hyper-athletic, just raw, in the mold of JPP perhaps. Clearly these are examples of this sort of player working out, but it's my wishlist and i can ignore bust rate if I want.

I think a guy like that would be a huge addition along with Suggs, Ngata, Upshaw, etc. in the front seven.

You may be talking about Ezekial Ansah then. I'm not quite sure if he has that elite athleticism though.

Man, 6-6, 270 guy, decent numbers on a good D, ran track, sounds like an overall good student (majoring in actuarial science with a math minor, little better than kinesiology for an athlete )

I like him.

Any chance this guy is available to us? Late first, early second?

If his rumoured numbers are anything to go by, then I'd say he does.

Track - 100m in 10.91 sec and 200m in 20.89 (both at apparently close to 250lbs) As a vague comparison, Vernon Davis ran the 100 in 10.7 in college apparently
Reported 39" vert
Benches 400lbs

Like others have said, he's a perfect candidate to shoot up draft boards after the season because he's likely to do very well at the combine and will interview well. Plus, JPP doing so well after being so raw coming out of college will be in his favour as well (even tho its a stupid reason)_________________Stone85 & mike23md on the sig!

Mapping out the defensive front seven for a potential switch to a base 4-3 got me depressed. No matter what scheme they run that unit needs an infusion of talent from the draft more than any other on the team in my opinion. Potentially losing guys like Kruger and Ellerbe makes it an even worse situation. I know this isn't a particularly new thought but seeing it written out like that has me in full defensive prospect scouting mode. Pretty much just the DL and LB positions though. I'm not interested in the Ravens taking a DB with a quality pick.

Keeping with this train of thought what do you guys think about Mingo and Montgomery? Assuming Kruger is gone the Ravens need to add another pass-rusher and I think either of these guys could be available in the range where the Ravens will be picking. I think they're two of the unpredictable prospects at the moment.